Souvenir figures such as this became popular in the 1920s, apparently after a set representing dancers with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes Company were issued by Cyril Beaumont. He had the idea in about 1914 to produce them from artwork representing the dancers in costume, hoping they would: 'supply the demand for something between a photograph and a statuette'. A 1928 catalogue of Beaumont's publications notes: 'The figures, which are of wood, average 8¾ inches high, and are hand-coloured with special care to ensure accuracy of costume. The black stands on which the figures are mounted are easily removable to afford facility in packing. The figures are priced at 7s.6d. net.'

This figure of Darrell Fancourt is one of several representing singers in roles they played with D'Oyly Carte Opera Company productions in its 1921 to 1922 season at London's Princes Theatre. They were reproduced from photographs and would have been issued in 1922 by the Artograph Technical and Photographic Company, located at 16, Grape Street, New Oxford Street, behind the Princes Theatre.

Darrell Fancourt, born Darrell Louis Fancourt Leverson, trained at London's Royal Academy of Music and after a short career as a concert singer joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in May 1920, going on for Frederick Hobbs as Mountararat in Iolanthe, Arac in Princess Ida and the title role of The Mikado. When Hobbs left in June 1920 Fancourt played those roles as well as Dick Deadeye in HMS Pinafore, the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, Colonel Calverley in Patience, Sir Roderic Murgatroyd in Ruddigore and Sergeant Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard. He continued to play most of the principal bass-baritone roles for the company for 33 years, until 1953, the year he died and when he was succeeded by Donald Adams.